Goethe’s Faust, Between Classicism and Romanticism · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

Image of a representation of Faust by Haags Uitburo on Flickr. CC BY 2.0.
It's sometimes complicated to understand or discuss terms like Classicism or Romanticism, especially for someone who is not involved in literature. But that's not the case with Mª Gemma Romero Perea, who thinks Goethe, through his Faust, shows a rare synthesis between Romanticism and Classicism. She explains:
Fausto es la obra más importante del autor; el ambiente en el que se desarrolla es el de la lejanía y el del misterio, y el pacto que Fausto hace con el diablo recoge el tétrico estilo romántico a la perfección. La historia arranca de una leyenda medieval, el protagonista, dedicado a la ciencia, pacta con el diablo para recuperar de nuevo la juventud y lograr de ese modo el amor de Margarita. Con un profundo estilo filosófico, Fausto lucha contra las leyes de la naturaleza y contra todo lo sagrado para convertirse en un rebelde romántico. Lo más significativo es el halo de misterio que rodea al protagonista y su terrible trato con el diablo para retomar la juventud. Pero además de los caracteres románticos del personaje, hay algo que destaca sobre todas las cosas, y es que Fausto se convertirá en un verdadero ídolo para todos los tiempos junto al Quijote y a Don Juan, un personaje lleno de matices que convertirá a su creador Goethe en un verdadero maestro de la literatura que influirá en su tiempo y en los posteriores de forma decisiva.
Faust is the author's most important work; the environment where it's set is of distance and mystery, and the pact Faust makes with the devil gets the gloomy romantic style perfectly. The story starts from a medieval legend, the main character, dedicated to science, agrees with the devil so he can get back his youth and having Margarita's love. With a profound philosophical style, Faust fights Nature's laws and all that is sacred to become a romantic rebel. The most significant thing here is the mystery aura surrounding the main characters and his terrible pact with the devil to get back his youth. But besides those romantic features of the character, there is something that stands out above all, and it's that Faust will become an all-times real idol, just as Don Quijote and Don Juan, a character that will make its creator Goethe a real master of literature that will have decisive influence during his time and later.